24 October 2010

Many people deride the words of the autistics and falsely accuse them of having set dates which never materialized. I have read all the messages and I've never seen a particular date quoted. They just keep saying "soon." And in the scheme of 6,000 years, even ten years is "soon."

The two most recent ones are A Small Peak into the Futureand Mass Destruction. Their words have the ring of truth and are entirely consistent with the Tanakh and other Jewish sources. We ignore them to our own detriment.

21 October 2010

We are so close to the complete redemption that now even an ordinary TV program like 60 Minutes sounds like prophecy!!

Zecharya 12.2-3: "Behold! I am making Jerusalem a cup of weakness for all the peoples around,.... And it shall come to pass on that day that I will make Jerusalem a stone of burden for all peoples; all who bear it shall be gashed, and all the nations of the earth shall gather about it."

Leslie Stahl's now (in)famous report on Ir David(The City of David) opens with the following words: "Jerusalem ... is one of the most difficult issues at the negotiating table." (Of course, the first lie of this piece of anti-Israel propaganda also occurs in the first sentence---that Jerusalem is holy to basically everyone!) Further on in the report, she actually uses the words "stumbling block" to refer to the Jerusalem issue.

Unfortunately, Israel is still being represented by people who don't properly present her case. Did anyone bother to inform Leslie Stahl that the Arab village she is calling Silwan was a barren hillside until the Yemenite Jews came and built the homes which are currently located there in the late 19th century? And that it didn't become an Arab village until a pogrom and threatened massacre drove the Jews away in fear for their lives in the 1930's? The Arabs moved in and stole those properties. The words "Will you murder and also inherit?" come to my mind.

But maybe they did and she or her team conveniently edited it out of the final cut. Who knows? But I can tell you right now that no bare-headed, bare-faced Mayor of Jerusalem who sees only the economic benefits of turning Holy Jerusalem into a theme-park for tourists will be able to prevent what is quickly coming upon us, Hashem have mercy!

A report in the New York Times Thursday said that the Palestinian Authority has decided to halt talks with Israel, and will instead seek recognition of a Palestinian state in all of Judea and Samaria from international institutions. According to the report, the PA will not only seek recognition of a state from the UN, but will seek to cement its legality through the International Court of Justice in the Hague, and and will seek recognition from countries that are signatories to the Geneva Convention.

If they make good on this threat, will the world refuse them? Can the world refuse them? And if they so rule and we do not cooperate, how long will it be before the foreign troops arrive to enforce the edict?

But it will all be good!! The status quo is intolerable---that Jerusalem should stand so degraded, the Moslems on the Mount and the city being turned into a theme park where the residents are reduced to bit players to be filmed and photographed while they try to carry out their daily lives. We want more than that; much more!

The storm clouds are now gathering. Suddenly, the storm itself will rage with wind and rain and clean the filth away. Then the sun will come out and shine radiantly upon G-d's lovely palace---the Holy City.

Oh, one more thing that I can't allow to pass. If you view the video below, you will hear Leslie Stahl say that according to Clinton's plan, the parts of the city which were predominantly in Jewish hands were to remain Jewish while those which were predominantly Arab would constitute the new Palestinian capital and "That meant that for the most part, East Jerusalem would go to the Arabs."

Not at all! This outright lie depends on the general public who hears it to know nothing whatever of geographic Jerusalem. Did you ever hear of Ramat Eshkol? French Hill with the Hebrew University and Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital? Ramot? Ramat Shlomo? Talpiot? Gilo? THE OLD CITY WITH THE JEWISH QUARTER, THE WESTERN WALL AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT!?? (And no doubt other places which I have forgotten for the moment.)

Chevre, hundreds of thousands of Jews live in these neighborhoods which were built already for many decades or as in the case of the Old City, for thousands of years! AND THEY ARE ALL LOCATED IN THE AREA WHICH THE WORLD CLAIMS IS "MOSTLY ARAB EAST JERUSALEM."

Oy!! And now I read that Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson (they certainly need no introductions) are here in Jerusalem inspecting the situation as I write this.

20 October 2010

I'll be so happy when we will no longer have to warn others to beware of the wolves in sheep's clothing amongst Am Yisrael.

Fallen apple breaks interfaith fence"…By the end of his paper, Rabbi Riskin surprised me by pleading for religious pluralism in which there is one God and the names YHVH, Allah, the Trinity, Buddha all reflect one reality. All ritual, images, statues, and representations serve the same Divine force. God only cares about morality and the forms of worship are incidental. The rainbow metaphor and its explanation seems like a paraphrase of the famed pluralist John Hick’s rainbow of faiths."

"…Rabbi Riskin concludes with an acceptance of the Pauline understanding of Abraham as the covenant of faith. He views Christianity as entirely within the Noahide laws and as reconciled with Judaism."
(Read the report in its entirety by clicking on the title above.)

19 October 2010

If you're not Israeli, you may not be aware of what happens at this time of year. True to the schizophrenic nature of modern Israeli society, the Rabinites can not make up their minds upon which date they want to commemorate Yitzhak Rabin's assassination---the Hebrew or the Gregorian calendar date. So they begin on whichever date comes first and continue until the second.

This year, that means 11 Cheshvan (20 October) through 4 November. Enough is enough! Unless and until someone is brave enough to expose the actual truth.

..."From the foots (sic) of Mount Sinai to the slopes of Rabin Square, one commandment stands high throughout all generations: Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not kill a person. Thou shall not kill an idea," Peres said at the start of his speech.

"The murder is a crime which must not be forgiven or forgotten. We are holding a memorial evening because we must fight forgetfulness. Such forgetfulness is the enemy of man. It's also puts democracy in danger."

18 October 2010

17 October 2010

The Jews (some of us anyway) are fighting a war on two fronts. We're fighting a "Love" War with Eisav and a "Hate" War with Yishmael. The Xians want to absorb us and the Muslims want to obliterate us. But make no mistake! The "Love" War also comes from a place of deep hatred. The "love" is all pretend. As long as the Jew is groveling before the Xian, he'll never see it, but the moment he stands up and says, "Thanks, but no thanks" and insists on remaining a proud Jew, then the face changes, just like Lavan's did toward our father Yaaqov. As our sages said, "It's a law. Eisav hates Ya'aqov."

Jews who make friendships with Eisav and invite them into their homes and praise them are traitors to their people and our tradition. Be they Greeks, Romans, Brits or Xian "Zionists," they are the enemy and consorting with the enemy in a time of war is treason. If you don't think it's that starkly true, then you are infected with the assimilation virus and are not seeing and thinking like a Torah-true Jew.

John Hagee, a xian evangelist who has become rich misleading countless people into a false, idolatrous religion, presents himself as a great "friend" of Israel and Jews. He would not hesitate to "lead" any Jew who approached him to turn his back on the Torah and embrace a belief in his false messiah. Out of the millions he collects from duping poor clueless goyim, he shares some of the ill-gotten gains with his Jewish buddies, making them partners in his crimes against humanity. Too strong a statement for you? Again, I say, check your assimilation meter and see if you are not under the influence of Western "pc" thinking.

To feed people religious poison and lead them astray from the ONE G-D is a crime against humanity!! And all you Jews consorting with the enemy, taking the money as if it's your due and somehow salving your conscience.... Well, what more can I say? With your bechira, you'll laugh off everything I'm saying to you and go on your merry way. But I will just remind you: There is a Judge and there is a Judgment. *******************

I don't know why and I don't know how, but I know without any doubt whatsoever that the fate of Jonathan Pollard is tied inextricably with the geulah shleimah. Just as the events that we are experiencing, which are bringing us closer and closer to the division of Jerusalem, come in waves like birthpangs, so do efforts to free Jonathan.

There will be a lot of news and a lot of activity and then a long period of quiet where nothing seems to be happening and then along comes the next 'contraction.'

I don't know if you were aware or not that Netanyahu put out feelers a few weeks ago to see if Obama might give Pollard in exchange for a renewal of the building freeze in Yehuda v'Shomron. It made international headlines. Washington did not respond, of course. Shortly thereafter, a handful of congressmen from Obama's own party began circulating a letter that is to be delivered to Obama "mid-October" requesting clemency for Pollard based on the discrepancy between his sentence and what others received for the same crime.

"...The letter notes that they are not questioning Mr. Pollard's guilt, the process by which he was convicted and sentenced, nor the necessity of punishing those who engage in espionage on behalf of allied countries. Rather, the appeal for clemency is based on the vast disparity between Mr. Pollard's sentence and the sentences given to many others who have been convicted of similar activities, even with countries that unlike Israel are or have been adversaries of the United States.

The letter also notes the positive impact that a grant of clemency would have in Israel, as a strong indication of the goodwill of our nation towards Israel and the Israeli people. This would be particularly helpful at a time when the Israeli nation faces difficult decisions in its long-standing effort to secure peace with its neighbors."

This is the most public call for Pollard's release since the fiasco at Wye River.

This week, every Jewish organization in America from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism to the Orthodox Union and Agudat Israel have lent their calls for clemency to this latest effort. Things are definitely moving along, but this long and protracted labor is exhausting and disheartening us all. Please do your part to make this big push the one that will 'deliver the baby' so to speak; that will bring us all to the deliverance that we have all been waiting, hoping and praying for. Please bombard Heaven with your pleas on behalf of Jonathan Pollard and the complete redemption!

Our Brother in ButnerHAMODIA Editorial - October 6, 2010

Pidyon shvuyim (Redemption of a captive). A mitzvah that retains a unique place in every Jewish heart - and rightfully so.

"There is no mitzvah that is [as great] as pidyon shvuyim," declares Rambam. The Shulchan Aruch rules that pidyon shvuyim takes precedence over all other types of tzedakah, and even when money has been collected for any other cause, it may be diverted for the sake of ransoming a captive.

Avraham Avinu placed his life in grave danger to gain freedom for his nephew Lot, and ever since then his descendants have done their utmost to free their captive and imprisoned brethren.

We are privileged to live in a malchus shel chessed (a benign regime), with an overall fair and transparent legal system. There are, however, some shocking exceptions to the rule: cases in which justice has, thus far, been denied and the ideal of fairness has disappeared.

For nearly 25 years, a Jew has been incarcerated in a federal prison. His crime? Passing classified information to a close U.S. ally. His intentions were good, as he acted out of a deep concern for the safety and security of his brethren in Eretz Yisrael. The close intelligence ties between America and Israel and the pacts between them made him feel that in no way was he endangering U.S. interests.

Nevertheless, as he has acknowledged on more than one occasion, despite his good intentions, what he did was wrong, and he should never have done it.

Others who committed similar crimes were either deported, or received a minimal prison sentence (an average of two years). Either punishment fit the crime.

But after Jonathan Pollard agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a promise that he would not get the maximum sentence, the judge proceeded to ignore the agreement and sentence him to life in prison!

Now, nearly 25 years later, this travesty of justice continues as Yehonoson ben Malka Pollard remains imprisoned in a Federal facility in Butner, North Carolina.

Can we look into our own hearts and truly say that we have done all we can - both on an individual and on an organizational level - on behalf of this Jew?

Contrary to what is commonly though mistakenly assumed, much can be done. First and foremost is the power of tefillah (prayer). Ultimately, the Ribbono shel Olam (Master of the World) is the One who frees captives, and if each and every one us would undertake to daven (pray) every day for Yehonoson ben Malka, it would certainly have a huge impact in Shamayim (Heaven).

At the same time we also have a obligation to undertake practical hishtadlus (efforts) on his behalf.

As reported on the front page in this issue, four Congressmen have announced that they are circulating a letter in the House of Representatives seeking other members to join them in asking President Obama to extend clemency to Pollard.

The appeal for clemency is based on the vast disparity between Mr. Pollard's sentence and the sentences given to others convicted of worse crimes, aiding countries that unlike Israel are or have been adversaries of the United States.

The letter also notes the positive impact that a grant of clemency would have in Israel, as a strong indication of the goodwill of America towards Israel and the Israeli people.

According to Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President of National Council of Young Israel, who for many years has been at the forefront of efforts to help Pollard, this is the first time such a letter has been circulated in Congress.

We commend Congressmen Barney Frank, Bill Pascrell, Adolphus Towns and Anthony Weiner for this effort; they have our appreciation and gratitude.

It is crucial for each of us to contact the member of Congress representing our particular district and urge them to sign this letter, which is now being circulated in Congress and is expected to be sent to President Obama in about ten days.

It is essential for our elected officials to hear how important this matter is to us, and with Election Day only weeks away, that whether or not he or she signs this letter will impact our vote on November 2. "We all need to call our congress people and request that they sign on, and if not, ask why. Then we need to educate them on the real story," says Rabbi Lerner.

In another noteworthy development, Professor Lawrence J. Korb, who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense when Pollard was arrested, has written to Obama calling for clemency.

"Based on my first-hand knowledge, I can say with confidence that the severity of Pollard's sentence is a result of an almost visceral dislike of Israel and the special place it occupies in our foreign policy on the part of my boss at the time, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.

"Secretary Weinberger submitted two affidavits to the court in order to convince the judge to give Pollard a harsher sentence than the one requested by the government, despite Pollard admitting guilt, plea bargaining and cooperating with the government," Korb says. "The government committed to not seeking a life sentence but due to the Weinberger Affidavits, the redacted version of which I have read, Mr. Pollard received a disproportionate life sentence," he insists. The Shulchan Aruch states that "Every moment that one delays freeing captives, in situations when it is possible to expedite their freedom, is considered tantamount to the shedding of blood!"

Now is a time for united, comprehensive effort on behalf of Yehonoson ben Malkah. With only days left before the congressional letter is to be sent to the president, time is of essence. Let's pick up our phones and call now, and pick up our pens and write today.

14 October 2010

The Kumah organization which promotes aliyah to Eretz Yisrael has made available free on their website an English translation of "a short and little-known book by kabbalist Rabbi Mordechai Atiyah." It's called "Lech Lecha" and it "expounds on the tremendous merit of making Aliyah – and the misfortune of those who will not."

You can read more about it here and download a copy of the booklet here. Following are some excerpts:

"...those who dilly-dally and refrain from coming to the Land, and explain that they are waiting for the Messiah, are making a basic error. For one who believes in the Messiah and truly awaits him must do so in the Land of Israel. This is just like one who waits for a king must get there a few hours early in order to get a good spot, and to show honor to the king by waiting for him; he should not wait in his own house, causing the king to arrive first and have to wait for people to show up."

"...Whoever confidently views himself as a citizen of a foreign country is living in error, misleading himself and others, and bringing evil upon himself and his descendants. Come and see what the Gaon Yaavetz wrote in his commentary on the Siddur: '...And do not think of ever settling outside the Land, G-d forbid. For this was the sin of our forefathers that led to a 'weeping for generations' - the sin of rebuffing the Land. It was this sin that caused us such suffering throughout the generations, with nary an opportunity to live in serenity.' "

"...those pious people who fear the word of G-d and are careful in the performance of His commandments, must understand that learning Torah outside the Land strengthens our enemies and those who wish us harm. On the other hand, learning Torah here in the Land of Israel strengthens the forces of sanctity and the Divine Presence, ...."

10 October 2010

When something is brought to my attention and before I even turn around, it comes at me again from a completely different direction, I sit up and take notice. To me, it's like the testimony of two witnesses confirming the truth of a matter.

I was reading the latest newsletter from Roy Neuberger and in it he says the following:

I heard the words of Rabbi Mattisyahu Salamon Shlita"h in which he described the Chofetz Chaim's account of what would take place before the coming of Moshiach. There would be three wars. (Of course, all we need is teshuva to enable Moshiach to come peacefully! But otherwise....) The First World War was War Number One. The Second World War, which the Chofetz Chaim predicted before his death, was War Number Two. Then, he said, there would be an interval, followed by a Third War, after which Moshiach would arrive.

BUT ... the Third War would be different from the first two. During the first two wars the Angel of Death was given permission to go after tzaddikim as well as others. We know in retrospect what that meant; we know what happened seventy years ago. But in the Third War, before the coming of Moshiach, the Angel of Death will have no power over those who cling with all their strength to G-d and His Torah! Those who know that there is no other Power beside Him, those who understand the total emptiness of the surrounding culture, will live through the Third War and into the Age of Moshiach ben Dovid!

Does not the story of Noah illustrate precisely that point? There is no getting around it. There is only one ticket for survival! We must very soberly learn the appropriate lessons. If we are not made afraid by the fate of Noah's world, then we are not getting the message.

Then, I saw that a new message had been posted from the autistic children at Messages from Heaven and this is what I read there:

(Translated and paraphrased) ...This time, it won't be like it was in the Shoah when Hashem took the righteous along with the wicked. This time it will be a clarification. It will be decided from Shamayim, who will survive and who won't. It will be very clear....

Right now, our job is to cleanse ourselves from all impurities, to do complete teshuva, to perfect our middot, to separate ourselves from evil, disconnect from all attachments to the world of sheker and prepare ourselves to be fit to survive and enter into Days of Mashiach. Hold fast to your faith in HKB"H and in His promise to send us Mashiach Tzidkeinu and to redeem us completely!

Every day, we are one day closer to the new reality and that means we have one day less to prepare ourselves. Make the most of the time we have left.

05 October 2010

The image at left is something out of one of my worst nightmares. (I grew up in a tornado-prone area of the United States.) Five tornados at once! It happened "just a kilometer out at sea from the port town of Novorossiysk" in Russia towards the end of August when they were having all that heat and fires.

Forecasters say this winter could be the coldest Europe has seen in the last 1,000 years.

The change is reportedly connected with the speed of the Gulf Stream, which has shrunk in half in just the last couple of years. Polish scientists say that it means the stream will not be able to compensate for the cold from the Arctic winds. According to them, when the stream is completely stopped, a new Ice Age will begin in Europe.